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On this day in history….8th February 1587

On this day in history : 8th February 1587 – Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded on the orders of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England – in what can only be described as a horrific botched execution….

Mary Stuart – Francois Clouet – Public domain

After Mary had abdicated from the Scottish throne she sought refuge in England and was initially welcomed by Elizabeth, however cautiously…. Mary was permitted to live in various castles around the land but she was continuously watched…. For nineteen years she was virtually a prisoner under house arrest….

Mary in captivity by Nicholas Hilliard c.1578 – Public domain

Then in 1586 a plot was uncovered to murder Queen Elizabeth I…. The Babington Plot, sparking a Catholic uprising, led by Roman Catholic nobleman Anthony Babington, implicated Mary and she was brought to trial…. At the two day trial, on the 14th-15th of October 1586, she was found guilty and sentenced to death…. It seems Elizabeth was reluctant to sign her cousin’s death warrant – so a rather underhand method was used to ensure that she did…. The warrant was slipped into a large pile of papers awaiting her signature and so she signed it without realising she had done so….

Drawing of the trial of Mary Queen of Scots – The digital collections of the British Library – CC0

44-year old Mary was to be executed in the Great Hall at Fotheringay Castle…. Mary’s own mother, Anne Boleyn had been beheaded – a master French swordsman had been brought in to perform her execution….it had been quick and clean…. The same cannot be said for Mary’s….

The scaffold was draped in black, more than 100 spectators gathered in the Great Hall to watch the proceedings…. Mary was forced to undress to her undergarments – she wore a blood red bodice to symbolise her Catholic martyrdom…. All the while her loyal servants wept around her….

Mary’s lady-in-waiting tied a cloth around her mistress’s eyes and helped her to kneel on the cushion…. Mary prayed – “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum” ~ “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit”….

Unable to see, due to the blindfold, Mary had to fumble around to find the block on which to lay her head…. Once her chin was in place one executioner held her in place whilst the other raised the axe…. As it fell and struck her neck it became all too obvious he had gravely misjudged….the blade had only partially gone through…. He quickly raised the axe and let it fall again but still her head remained attached…. after a third blow and using a sawing motion Mary’s head was finally severed from her body….

The execution scene, drawn by eye witness Rupert Beale – Public domain

Exclaiming “God save the Queen!” the executioner raised the head for all to see…. as he did so Mary’s head promptly fell to the ground – and he was left holding only a red wig…. According to witness accounts of the time her lips continued to twitch for a good quarter of an hour after decapitation….

As if all that is not gruesome and traumatic enough, more was still to come…. As the executioner lifted the skirts of Mary’s petticoats to remove her garters – as was his right as executioner – he discovered her pet dog, Geddon, hiding in the folds…. The distraught little dog refused to leave his dead mistress – and lay in the pool of blood where Mary’s head had been….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….7th February 1873

On this day in history : 7th February 1873 – The birth of Thomas Andrews – the naval architect in charge of overseeing the plans for the supposedly unsinkable RMS Titanic….

Andrews was born in Comber, near to Belfast, into a prominent family…. His father was the Right Hon. Thomas Andrews and his mother Eliza Pirrie…. His brother, John, was later to become Prime Minister of Northern Ireland…. Andrews’ uncle was Lord Pirrie, owner of Harland & Wolff, who were to build the Titanic….

Harland & Wolff at ‘knocking off’ time…. Titanic can be seen in the background – Public domain

Andrews joined Harland & Wolff in 1889, at the age of 16, as an apprentice….and spent the next five years working his way through the various departments of the company…. He was hardworking and well liked; he progressed quickly and in 1901 he became a member of the Institution of Naval Architects…. By 1907 he had been made Managing Director of Harland & Wolff, in charge of design and construction….

Andrews married Helen Reilly Barbour on the 24th of June 1908 and the couple were blessed with a daughter, Elizabeth, two years later….

Thomas with his wife Helen and baby daughter Elizabeth – Public domain

Always wanting to be involved Andrews sailed on the maiden voyages of the Adriatic, Oceonic and Olympic – to oversee, observe and learn…. He was always looking for ways to improve things…. So, this is how he happened to be on the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic….

Leaving his wife and daughter behind in Belfast he boarded Titanic with his complimentary ticket No. 112050 and settled into cabin No. A36…. The ship sailed to Southampton on the 10th of April 1912 – and then on to the North Atlantic…. Andrews spent the first few days assisting where he was needed, helping the crew familiarise themselves with the new vessel – and making notes as to what could be done to make things better for future voyages….

RMS Titanic departing Southampton 10th April 1912 – Public domain

On the evening of the 14th of April 1912 Andrews returned to his cabin after dinner and became engrossed in catching up with some work…. So absorbed was he that when the ship collided with the iceberg at approximately 23.40pm he hardly even noticed….and thought little of it…. His first hint of the danger they were in came when a message arrived to say his presence was immediately required on the Bridge….

He and 62-year-old Captain Smith, the White Star Line’s most senior captain, assessed the damage in the flooded mail room and squash court…. The design of the ship involved sixteen watertight compartments, with doors which could be closed from the Bridge, sealing off compartments if necessary…. Up to 4 compartments could flood at any one time and the ship would remain upright…. It was the safety design that led White Star to claim their vessels were practically unsinkable….

Despite this, Andrews had to break the news to Captain Smith that he did not think the Titanic would stay afloat for more then two hours…. Andrews spent his last hours urging passengers to the lifeboats…. The Titanic sank at around 2.20am on the 15th of April 1912…. The body of Andrews was never recovered….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….6th February 1911

On this day in history : 6th February 1911 – “The Spirit of Ecstasy” – the official Rolls Royce mascot – is unveiled…. It was originally inspired by an illicit love-affair….

Spirit of Ecstasy on a Rolls Royce Corniche – User Jed, own work CC BY-SA 3.0

The first Rolls Royce motorcars had no mascot – all that adorned them was the ‘RR’ emblem of the company…. It was Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, a keen motoring pioneer and enthusiast, who commissioned the first mascot for his own car…. He turned to sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, to design it for him…. Sykes modelled the mascot on a beautiful woman by the name of Eleanor Velasco Thornton – who also happened to be Montagu’s mistress…. Sykes designed the mascot with a finger placed to her lips, to indicate a secret – referring to their love affair…. The mascot became known as ‘The Whisperer’….

The pair had met in 1902, when Montagu was editor of ‘The Car Illustrated’ magazine…. Eleanor was his 22-year-old secretary – and they fell in love…. For over a decade their affair remained a secret, known only to a few close friends…. She was from a humble background, he from aristocracy – and he was married…. Montagu and Eleanor even had a daughter, who was given up for adoption….

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu – Bain News Service, publisher – Library of Congress – Public domain

Eleanor Thornton – unknown photographer

Montagu had set a trend by having a mascot on his automobile – soon it was to become the must have accessory for any well-heeled Rolls Royce owner….

Rolls Royce became concerned that inappropriate mascots may be used to adorn their cars – so managing director Claude Johnson approached Sykes to produce a mascot that could be used on all future cars…. It had to reflect ‘the spirit of Rolls Royce’…. It was to include ‘speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy and a beautiful living organism of superb grace’….

Once again Sykes modelled his mascot on Eleanor, modifying his original version…. He called his new model ‘The Spirit of Speed’….later describing it as ‘A graceful little goddess, the spirit of ecstasy’…. Claude Johnson seized on this and so the mascot became known as ‘The Spirit of Ecstasy’…. Although there have been modifications and variations over the years The Spirit of Ecstasy still adorns the Rolls Royce today….

Side view (1972 Silver Shadow) – NoslivRage – own work – CC BY-SA 4.0

As for Eleanor and Montagu….it is a rather sad end to their love story…. In 1915 they were onboard SS Persia travelling to India…. On the 30th of December the ship, which had reached the Mediterranean, was torpedoed without warning by a German U-boat…. Eleanor and hundreds of others drowned – and at first it was believed Montagu had perished too – but he survived and was found adrift in a life raft a few days later….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….5th February 1982

On this day in history : 5th February 1982 – Budget airline Laker Airways collapses owing £270 million to its banks and creditors….

Laker Airways was a private British independent airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker in 1966…. It was based at Gatwick and from 1977 it began to offer low cost, no frills, long haul flights to the United States….

To offer the discounted prices it was known for Laker Airways needed to attract all year round business – which was not an easy task as most travel was required during the summer months – and this in turn could easily cause cash flow problems…. With the launch of ‘Skytrain’ in 1977, attracting long haul business travellers between Gatwick and JFK, the company seemed to have found the recipe for success….

Skytrain at Manchester Airport in 1979 – RuthAS own work – CC BY-SA 3.0

A period of rapid expansion followed and new aircraft were acquired…. Laker became the first airline outside of North America to operate the Douglas DC-10….

However, Laker had overstretched its finances – and with competition from other established airlines was unable to withstand the 1980’s recession…. To maintain its position as Britain’s second largest independent airline it had borrowed heavily at very high interest rates…. There was also the added factor that the DC-10 had a history of a series of fatal accidents and many people were avoiding flying on them….

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 at Palma de Mallorca Airport – Eduard Marmet CC BY-SA 3.0

A £5m rescue plan was put together by McDonnell Douglas and General Electric, suppliers of the DC-10…. However, British Caledonian got wind of the deal and together with other DC-10 operators refused to do business with McDonnell Douglas and GE…. The rescue deal with Laker did not go ahead….

On the 5th of February 1982 – after a four hour board meeting – Laker asked Clydesdale Bank to call in the receivers – Laker Airways had collapsed…. All 17 Laker Aircraft were ordered to return to the UK by that night…. A DC-10 at Gatwick was impounded to cover landing and parking costs…. 6,000 stranded passengers had their return tickets honoured by other airlines such as British Airways, British Caledonian, Pan Am and Air Florida…. A ‘Save Laker’ fund was set up by the public – but it was too late….

Laker Skytrain Airbus A300 in 1982 at London Stanstead Airport – Eduard Marmet CC BY-SA 3.0

Within weeks Sir Freddie was trying to relaunch his airline by transferring Laker Airways licences to a new company – but this was blocked by the Civil Aviation Authority…. Twelve months later Sir Freddie sued British Airways, British Caledonian, Pan Am, TWA, Lufthansa, Air France, Swissair, KLM, SAS, Sabena, Alitalia and UTA – all IATA members – for a conspiracy to put his airline out of business…. He received an out of court settlement for $50m – and a separate £8m settlement from British Airways….

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On this day in history….4th February 1194

On this day in history : 4th February 1194 – 100,000 pounds of silver are handed over as ransom to free the kidnapped King Richard I….

Effigy of Richard I of England in the church of Fontevraud Abbey – Adam Bishop – own work CC BY-SA 3.0

Richard the Lionheart was on his way home after fighting in the Third Crusade when bad weather forced his ship to take refuge in Corfu…. Being part of the kingdom of the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angeles (who was angry with Richard for taking the Byzantine territory of Cyprus) Richard was disguised as a knight of the Templar to avoid recognition….

On attempting to sail from Corfu his ship was wrecked – and he had to embark on a dangerous land journey to try and reach the lands of his brother-in-law, Henry the ‘Lion’…. Only he was captured near to Vienna in December 1192 by Leopold of Austria – who accused Richard of murdering his cousin Conrad de Montferrat….

Richard was imprisoned at Durnstein Castle – and then on the 28th of March 1193 he was handed over to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI in Speyer, who kept him at Trifels Castle…. Henry VI needed to raise money to fund an army with which to capture Southern Italy – and so he demanded a 150,000 mark (100,000 pounds of silver) ransom for the release of Richard…. This amounted to two of three times the total annual income of the English Crown….

Trifels Castle – R. Wallenstein at German Wikipedia – own work – CC BY SA 2.0 de

Richard’s mother, Eleanor, set about raising the ransom…. Taxes were raised to crippling levels, gold and silver was confiscated from churches, clergy and laymen saw a tax of a quarter of the value levied upon their properties….

It took a year to raise the money…. It was then despatched to Germany and finally Richard was released on the 4th of February 1194….